Are Skinny Jeans Actually Over?

I remember my first pair of skinny jeans tragically. Maybe because they were. At 12 years old, I convinced my mom to get me a pair from Wet Seal because I was tired of the bootcut and bell bottom styles she’d always buy me. But mainly, I wanted to look cool. Back then, cropped hemlines were not a thing. Instead, we wore ours a tad longer than needed, scrunching the hemlines to mask our ankles. With platforms on our feet, of course. But 15 years later, I have no skinny jeans in my closet. The last pair I bought (a comfy number from Everlane) I gifted to a friend in 2019, after I accepted to myself that I was over this trend. 

So when skinny jeans were banished by Zoomers earlier back in 2021, I was surprised to see just how many millennials took it personally. By now, millennials know what it’s like to be blamed for the demise of mostly everything in society, from marriage and diamonds to beer and napkins. Certainly, skinny jeans couldn’t have been such a big deal to let go of. But mostly, I was eager to see if the Zoomers’ disapproval was actually enough to kill skinny jeans for good. 

Turns out, it wasn’t. Skinny jeans are still here — like it or not. 

Despite the fast growth of looser styles — be it baggy, slim-fit, or barrel jeans — interest in skinny jeans hasn’t actually decreased from both consumers and designers hasn't actually decreased. Brands like Acne and Diesel included skinny jeans in their spring/summer 2024 lineups, for example. What’s more, both luxury and retail brands are still *gasp* selling skinny jeans in both low-rise and high-waisted styles, from Balmain and Balenciaga to Levi’s, Good American, and Everlane. 

For a while now, we've witnessed the return of the 2010s — the era of skater skirts, thigh-high socks, cross T-shirts, and colorful jeans — with high-low hemlines, gladiator sandals, fringe, and colorblocking already seen on the runways. The recent spike in demand for skinny jeans may just be that: a dormant trend holding out until its companions come out to play for the upcoming spring season. So hold on to your skinny jeans, millennials. They might come in handy soon. 

If you’re missing a pair, the options below might be a good solution.